Off With Her Head!
by licensetowrite
Summary: A case involving a ten year old girl affects Cameron. As House's leg pains intensify, he tries to discover the girl's problem while remedying his friendship with Wilson. Cuddy's feeling unwell and Foreman and Chase are just trying to keep up. Please R
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a House Fan Fic. I have watched the show faithfully since the pilot and have some interesting ideas about who I believe should connect (laugh). Please read and let me know what you think. Mostly, I just hope you enjoy it. I don't think anyone can really match up to the wit the writers of that show manage to create, but it is still fun to try. The medical case I use in this story was something I read about that interested me greatly, but I won't give it away. This takes place after the latest episode in the recent 'assisted suicide' case where the doctor passes away with help from Cameron. Please read and review. Most of all, enjoy. Wonderful wishes to all—licensetowrite

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"I have a headache, mama." The ten-year-old child complained quietly as her mother, Lauren, leaned over to light the candles on Bridget's pretty pink birthday cake. Lauren sighed wearily. This had been a long year for them both, as the father had left Lauren and their thirteen year relationship to become involved with his twenty-four-year old legal secretary. It made for an interesting story related every other week by Lauren to the nearest therapist. Worse still was the fact that Lauren's daughter too seemed to be affected by the separation, with consistent complaints now emanating from Bridget dealing with sudden chronic aches and pains. Lauren was beginning to suspect that her little 'Getty' had developed a severe case of Hypochondria related to her father's recent absence. Maybe she thought that being ill would bring him back. It made Lauren burn in anger at the injustice. Her daughter had done nothing wrong, but Lauren feared that her baby still blamed herself.

"Try not to think about it, Getty. I'm sure if you take your mind off of it that it will go away." Lauren stated soothingly as she looked around the crowded kitchen more than a little angrily. Damn the man! It was their daughter's birthday for God's sake. Did he have no moral fabric in him whatsoever? Lauren smiled tightly at the surrounding guests before clapping.

"Gather around everybody! It's time to sing to the birthday girl!" Lauren shouted as she stood up to wave everyone over to the table. She still had a smile plastered to her tired face when Bridget screamed. Lauren jumped before looking over at her daughter who was now staring down at her hands in horror. Lauren gazed at them too, but saw nothing wrong. Her daughter's hands looked perfectly normal. And then Bridget passed out…


	2. Chapter 2

**_A Few Hours Later..._**

"Ahhhhhmmmm….Ahhmmmmm…" House mumbled in a low tone as he sat quietly in the corner of his office.

"Is he trying for divine intervention or mocking God?" Chase whispered quietly from outside the door while Cameron grinned before glancing around the corner.

"Have you ever heard about the devil falling into the choir loft?" She asked on a small laugh as Foreman rolled his eyes and looked down at the folder in his hand.

"He's probably trying to make you guys think he's communicating with UFOs. There's not enough time in the day for us to try and diagnose House's psychological issues." Foreman ranted as he glared at the clinic cases House was determined to shoulder off on the group.

"Nose bleed or hemorrhoids?" Foreman asked quickly as he held out two folders toward Chase and Cameron. Both ignored him.

"If he starts singing Kum-Ba-Ya, I'm running to the hills." Chase murmured as a voice behind them caused them all to spin quickly.

"He's channeling his dead victims or haven't you figured that out by now." Dr. Wilson proclaimed softly as House snorted from inside his office.

"I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes." House proclaimed in a loud, mocking tone as Wilson shook his head and perused House's team of doctors sardonically.

"Better yet, to coin a phrase, he's channeling Jimi Hendrix. Unless, of course, I've become horribly out-dated on House's strange fixation with the 'let's guess which rock star said that' game." Wilson declared as House cracked one eyelid open before smiling and pointing his cane toward the door.

"And they say you can only quote lab results. I'm impressed, Wilson." House commented in sly amusement as Wilson rolled his eyes before walking into the office, a file dangling precariously from his outstretched hand. House followed his movement with interest.

"Either that's a case file or my birthday got here a little early this year. Tell me that's a folder full of hot, highly aroused women's phone numbers and I'll forgive you for last year's lame gift." House promised solemnly as Wilson raised an eyebrow and attempted to hide a smile.

"Unless you are hitting on ten-year-olds now, then you are sorely out of luck, my friend." Wilson announced as he opened the folder and handed the papers to House.

"It's a ten-year-old girl presenting with severe headaches and fainting spells. She's…." Wilson began as House looked over the file quickly before throwing it on top of his desk in disinterest. All the while, Cameron, Chase, and Foreman had moved into the room quietly and they picked up the folder before balancing it between them, all perusing it with more than a little interest.

"Is she anemic?" Cameron asked as Wilson shook his head.

"An early on-set of pre-menstrual syndrome?" Chase inquired as, again, Wilson shook his head while Cameron gave Chase a look that said, 'you have got to be kidding me.'

"Chase, she's ten." Cameron pointed out as Chase shrugged.

"It's been known to happen in female children below the age of ten and it does present with headaches. Some severe." Chase defended as Cameron shook her head.

"Behavior changes?" Foreman questioned, interrupting the squabble as House pounded the top of his desk with his cane.

"It's streptococcal or viral. Possibly bacterial. All present with severe headaches." House announced as Wilson looked over at him quietly. House always shrugged off a case before it finally caught his interest.

"I've already considered that. The test for strep came out negative and she's showing signs of delusion." Wilson offered as House sat up quickly. That did it. He rubbed his chin absently.

"Delusions?" House asked quietly under his breath before struggling to a standing position and hobbling into the room next door, picking up a dry-erase marker before scribbling quickly on the board. The wince he gave as he turned around was noted, but no one bothered to mention it. House slipped something out of his pocket before popping it into his mouth. Wilson shook his head as House's team quickly fell into their routine.

"So what do we have?" House asked as he looked at the board before tapping each symptom with his cane.

"Headaches, fainting, possible delusion…?" He stated quietly as he shook his head.

"All still could be contributed to something viral or bacterial." House remarked matter-of-factly before pointing at Cameron.

"Start her on antibiotics and see where her symptoms go from there. Let's eliminate the possibly of a bacterial infection first. We should know something in a matter of hours." House commanded as Cameron nodded before brushing past the group into the hallway. Wilson followed her with his gaze a moment before looking back at House.

"I don't think it's bacterial or viral." He reiterated as House shrugged.

"We'll know soon enough, won't we?" House asked with conviction.

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**_Author's Note: All of those who have already read through the first four chapters will realize that I made some minor editing changes and re-uploaded them. Thank you to everyone who had, has, and will hopefully review (fingers crossed). You are fantastic!_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Cameron…**_

Cameron moved into the room stealthily, watching the little girl now asleep in the hospital bed as she moved into the area while holding the syringe full of medicine she would need to inject into the child's IV. The child looked peaceful, angelic—and too still. It made Cameron shudder, mostly because she was still suffering emotionally from the last case she had been involved with and mostly because a case that involed children always touched her more than others. Maybe it was the female in her. Everyday the world of medicine played havoc more and more with her moral stability, with the way she had always viewed the world. With the way she had always viewed herself. It bothered her that she was allowing herself to be tainted, but then again, weren't they all?

In the end, House was right. She was, after all, still slightly attracted to the man, but now she kept asking herself if it was because he was lame or because of his bold, enigmatic behavior. It was time she faced reality. She envied his science, the way his mind worked, but she also pitied his lack of emotion. Who knows? Maybe the reason their group functioned so well together was because they were all psychologically deranged. House had no emotion, Chase suffered from childhood psychological issues, Foreman had his own secrets, and she was overly nurturing. They were all screwed.

"Have the test results come in?" A worried voice asked from behind her and Cameron turned in time to see a harried looking woman move into the room, a cup full of steaming coffee held worshipfully in her hands as she gripped its comforting warmth for support. The mother. Cameron nodded.

"The tests were negative for strep, but we haven't ruled out the possibility of an infection, either viral or bacterial. I'm going to treat her with antibiotics. One way or the other, we should know in a couple of hours whether or not the treatment is working." Cameron promised as she saw the way the woman's brow creased in slight confusion while her eyes shone with a light Cameron had come to recognize as hope.

"And if it doesn't work?" The mother asked almost in a whisper as Cameron looked first at the bed and then back at the mom.

"Then we'll do more tests and figure out what is causing her problems. I promise we will do whatever we can to determine what is wrong with your daughter." Cameron commented firmly, her usual resolve settling over her as she stared at another case transforming quickly from a file into something more human for her. She took everything personally. It was her saving grace _and_ her curse. It was what made her the missing link in the House chain because it gave her a reason to search for a cure, but it also made her weak and vulnerable. She was House's scape goat as well as his sounding board. All in all, she kept him sane because she gave House the emotion in a case that he lacked. It was the reason, Cameron now realized, that he had hired her. How do you keep yourself from making a mistake by allowing yourself to view a case in an unemotional, sterile way. Easy. You hired someone who could look at it differently. It was how House kept himself from floundering. Chase was House's agreeable intern, Foreman was House's antithesis because he fought almost all of House's decisions, and Cameron was House's emotion. If you aren't a full human being, then you surround yourself with people who can make you whole. Cameron had to admit that House was one hell of a reasonable man. At least he realized he needed them each for different reasons.

Looking now at the mother, Cameron considered that as she moved over to the bed before inserting her needle into the end of the IV, watching as the last of the medicine moved into the plastic tubing. It was a waiting game now, and if that didn't work, then it was all about who could guess the right scenario faster. Cameron sighed before smiling slightly at the mother while moving past her back towards the door.

"Is there anything missing from her medical background that we need to be aware of?" Cameron asked quietly as the mother shook her head slowly, her gaze fixed on her still daughter. Cameron sighed as she nodded before closing the door behind her. She rested her head on the palm of her hand as she moved into the center of the corridor.

"You should have considered taking a leave of absence after the last case, Cameron." A voice said softly from behind her and Cameron shrugged as she turned to face Dr. Wilson.

"I'm fine." She insisted as she spun on her heel in order to march down the corridor in hurried steps. She had clinic duty.

"_Are_ you fine? Or have you let _him_ convince you that you are fine?" Wilson called out quickly as Cameron cringed. Wilson was good at that—determining what the rest of them were feeling before any of them even knew it themselves. It was why he was House's best friend, because he could read the man's mood better than a psychic at the state fair. Crystal ball or not, Cameron wasn't paying to have her fortune read.

"I'm fine." She repeated as she continued to walk. It didn't pay to let her emotions take her away from the hospital. She still brought them back with her when she returned.

"We all take certain cases home with us, Cameron. Remember that." Wilson called out finally as Cameron looked over her shoulder and met his gaze evenly. He was right. They all did. She more than most.

"House doesn't." She remarked matter-of-factly as Wilson shook his head and met her gaze with a slight half-grin.

"You'd be surprised, Cameron." He said quickly as she raised one of her brows questioningly. But she knew Wilson. He never talked about House other than the occasional vague comment. Cameron's beeper went off.

"I'm being paged." She stated simply as she veered off toward the clinic. She just hoped it wasn't the case involving hemorrhoids.


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Clinic…**_

"I'm having pains in my chest. Every time I lean over I feel like someone has knocked me through the heart with a hammer. Is that normal?" The slightly obese man asked uncertainly as House scribbled on a pad of paper in utter boredom, the shape of a fairly decent picture beginning to materialize on the page. His art teacher had been mistaken in high school when she had told him art wasn't his area of expertise. Hah! It sort of resembled what he was going after. A Picasso piece maybe?

"Mmmm Hmmmm…." House murmured unconsciously as the man grew quiet. House looked up before sighing as he perused the man's confused expression. What had the patient said? Something about pressure in the chest? Oh yeah.

"Excuse me?" The man asked as House pushed away from the table while trying his best not to roll his eyes. He reached over and pushed the page button again in order to summon Cameron as he eyed the man in irritation.

"Having trouble breathing occasionally?" House asked as the man nodded worriedly. House choked back a laugh.

"Any chance you've changed your diet lately, your exercise routine maybe?" House asked as the man tapped his chin thoughtfully as if he even needed to come up with an answer. If appearance were any indication, then the man hadn't exercised a day in his 38-year-old life. Finally the man shrugged.

"Well for breakfast, I had a breakfast burrito, a plate of bacon, a piece of toast…" The man droned on as House automatically tuned him out after the description of table scraps became more than he could bear. House grimaced. Where the hell was Cameron? House clapped his hands together loudly.

"Damn! I'm afraid I have bad news! Dear Lord, man, you are _dying_!" He proclaimed as the patient looked up at him in alarm.

"What?" The man asked meekly as House rolled his eyes.

"Or you will be if you don't learn to ingest only a portion of the cow or pig instead of the full animal within twenty minutes of getting up in the morning." House explained sarcastically as he walked over to a cabinet and began to dig through it quickly before pulling out a needle used for spinal taps and injections. The man gulped.

"Is that really necessary?" The patient asked almost in a whisper as House slapped himself on the forehead before placing the needle back onto the shelf.

"Silly me. Wrong treatment." House exclaimed as the man sighed audibly in relief. The door creaked open and House sighed in obvious expectation. That better be Cameron! As if on cue, her brown head peeked around the corner.

"Lord, woman! What took you so long?" House asked mockingly before turning back toward his patient. He handed the man two large round, white chewable tablets before looking over at Cameron.

"Explain to this man why the stomach is only allowed to hold so much of the allowable basic food groups and inform him of the damage that heartburn and gastritis can have over time if not kept under proper control." House commanded with a roll of his eyes.

"Plop, plop, fizz, fizz…oh, what a relief it is." House murmured as he brushed past Cameron through the door. She cocked her head to the side as he hobbled through.

"Should I feel relieved I didn't get the hemorrhoid case?" She asked in a surly tone as House grinned suddenly.

"That's the next case." He announced as he handed her the folder. She groaned.

"You could try filling your own clinic hours." Cameron pointed out as House laughed.

"And not give Cuddy a reason to harangue me. Really, Allison. And here I thought you knew me better than that." He said in mock insult as Cameron slammed the door in his face. The man was absolutely impossible!

House turned slowly away from the door only to find himself viewing Cuddy's delectable backside from across the waiting area as she drank straight out of a bottle of Pepto Bismol. He watched as her black business skirt stretched tightly over the curve of her buttocks before nodding in admiration.

"Are we using the new Buns of Steel video or just suddenly filling out?" House asked as he approached her quietly. She jumped, placing a hand over her heart before looking up at him.

"Hmmm, if I had known I had that effect over you, I would have made sure I found you alone in your office." House remarked suggestively as Cuddy looked over his shoulder at the doors of the clinic.

"Shouldn't you be on clinic duty?" She asked in irritation as he shrugged.

"And miss viewing your delectable apples as you stave off certain nausea. Is that a symptom you're experiencing a lot lately?" He asked lightly as he watched her jaw muscles clench audibly.

"I'm not pregnant, House!" She exclaimed sourly as he frowned.

"What is it with the women in my life lately. So disagreeable. You know they say that sex relieves an incredible amount of tension." House pointed out as Cuddy walked toward him menacingly.

"So does a day at the spa. And I have a feeling I'd get a more orgasmic experience out of that than out of…" She began as House's beeper suddenly went off. Cameron walked out of the clinic room behind him.

"Looks like the antibiotics didn't work." Cameron called out as they both made their way toward the elevator. House looked over his shoulder at Cuddy as he hobbled away, wagging his eyebrows as he went.

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**_Moments later..._**

"I think she's hallucinating!" The mother exclaimed as Cameron and House entered the room of Bridget Durmont hurriedly only to find Chase and Foreman already present next to the bed, fighting to hold the girl down as she screamed frantically. House looked at the mother pointedly.

"Are you sure?" He asked the woman in astonishment as Cameron glared at him. Now was not the time to play mind games! She rushed for the nearest sedative, pulling the top off of a syringe before plunging it into the child's convulsing body. The girl continued to struggle a moment.

"My legs are growing!" The child screamed as tears ran down her face in streams. Cameron reached for her hand soothingly.

"Your legs are fine, Bridget." Cameron cooed, using the name available on the girl's case file. The mother gasped as sobs broke free of her body.

"She goes by Getty." The woman said quietly as the child screamed again.

"I'm shrinking!" She yelled as House perused the situation in interested silence. Cameron continued to run her hand along the child's forehead as Chase and Foreman held her down. She was stronger than she appeared, but her struggles began to cease as the medicine had the desired effect. House looked over at the mother.

"Is she taking any drugs that you are aware of? Any moments spent recently alone with friends carrying cans of hairspray?" House asked as Cameron gasped and Foreman moaned.

"House!" Cameron and Chase exclaimed as the mother looked up in astonishment.

"It's very common in pre-teen children these days. Huffing and doing drugs without the parent's knowledge." House suggested as Cameron hissed House's name again while Foreman groaned once more. The child had grown quiet now, completely lethargic due to the drug.

"My child does not do drugs!" The mother insisted as House shrugged.

"No child does, Mrs. Durmont." House stated matter-of-factly as his team moved away from the bed in order to shuffle him out of the room.

"She'll be fine now, Mrs. Durmont." Cameron said quietly before patting the woman's hand while Chase and Foreman ensured that House was removed from the area.

"Just Lauren. I'm not married anymore." The woman said in a whisper as Cameron nodded before moving past her out of the room.

"We'll find out what's wrong with her, Lauren." Cameron promised as she joined the men outside the door.

"What was that!" Cameron almost shouted as she faced House in obvious agitation. "That woman is scared to death and you accuse her ten-year-old child of being a drug addict!" Cameron continued as Chase shrugged.

"It _would_ explain the hallucinations. It would even explain the headaches." Chase complied as Foreman shook his head.

"But not the fact that the mother claims she's had headaches on road trips when they've been driving for hours. No time for the child to huff anything while in the presence of her mother." Foreman pointed out as House raised a knowing brow.

"She's having distorted delusions. First, she's growing larger and then she's shrinking. Have a toxicology run on her in order to ascertain if she has any traces of drugs in her system and do a catscan on her brain. If it's not drugs, then her brain is our next best case scenario. Also, do an MRI while your at it and, Cameron, talk to Wilson and see if there is any possibility that the girl could have a tumor or cancer than might present with these types of symptoms" House ordered as he hobbled away from the room while deep in thought. Something about this case was bothering him. He needed to think.

As he limped away, he missed the way Cameron stopped suddenly outside the hospital room door in order to peer in on the child. She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly.

"Why don't I sit with her for a while and let you catch your breath?" Cameron asked Lauren Durmont quietly as she entered the room. The woman looked up gratefully, her strength sapped from her as she looked down at her daughter.

"Thank you. I would appreciate that." Lauren commented before walking out the door toward the break room.

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_Author's Footnote: Please press review and let me know what you think. Wonderful wishes._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_James Wilson…_**

Wilson watched quietly from outside the hospital room door as Allison Cameron sat next to the bed holding the hand of the small, sedated little girl. They were conversing quietly amongst each other in whispered, confidential tones that made Wilson shake his head slightly. Cameron was like an open book, her face an expressive cover that revealed the plot of a story without ever having to peruse the summary at the back of the novel. She surprised him with her strength—with her ability to connect with a patient and then grieve with them. Taking as many cases as she did personally, Wilson often wondered how she kept her sanity. House and Cameron both viewed her compassion as a weakness, but Wilson knew differently. Only the strongest of doctors could care for patients the way she did and still continue to care for each new admission without cracking under the pressure. It made her a true doctor with Herculean resolve. House saw that in her too although he wouldn't admit it.

Sometimes Wilson wondered if House didn't envy that ability of hers to care about her patients while absorbing their pain as well. Sometimes he wondered if House was _attracted_ to that part of her human makeup. Wilson saw the way House looked at her very so often. It made Wilson wonder if House had a right to always berate Allison for being attracted to wounded men when House seemed to be attracted to her for the very opposite reason. She was House's missing emotion. Wilson shook his head as he watched her now. Maybe that's what made both House and himself attracted to the woman.

"My father left because he doesn't love us anymore." The girl was saying quietly, her voice slightly slurred as she fought off sleep. Cameron ran her hand along Bridget's forehead gently.

"I'm sure that isn't true, Getty. He may be confused about what he wants and he and your mother may be having problems, but I can pretty much guarantee that doesn't change how he feels about you. You are and always will be his daughter." Cameron soothed as the little girl sighed. She nestled into the blankets that made up the uncomfortable bed gingerly.

"Were your parents divorced?" The little girl asked quietly. Cameron leaned over and answered her just as softly, low enough that Wilson missed her reply. He felt guilty for eavesdropping so he leaned in slowly and tapped gently on the open door. Cameron looked up quickly.

"Mind if I join this little pow wow?" Wilson asked merrily as he scooted through the opening. The child looked over at him with narrowed eyes, squinting through her sleep-induced fog so that she could make out his person. Cameron just smiled softly. She knew why he was here.

"One of the boys must have caught up with you?" Cameron inquired as Wilson nodded. Chase had run into him along the hall and mentioned the fact that House wanted him to look in on the girl just to rule out the possibility of cancer. He didn't think any of them _actually_ suspected her of having anything related to oncology, but it was wise to cover all bases at this point.

"Mind if I have a quick look at you?" Wilson asked the child gently as Bridget nodded her head uncertainly. Wilson took out the equipment he needed quickly, leaning over to check the little girl's eyes, ears, throat, and nose before piddling around with her lymph nodes to check for any suspicious swelling. His examination came out clean. Patting Bridget gently on the back, he thanked her before backing away. Cameron followed.

"She doesn't have cancer." Cameron said knowingly as Wilson nodded in agreement.

"I don't think so, either. I'll look over your tests and run a blood sample of my own, but instinct tells me that's not her problem either." He commented before perusing Allison with concern.

"You should take a few hours to rest." He insisted as she ignored his continued attempts at concern. He sighed. Why must everyone in this place be so dead blasted stubborn?

"Just think about it, would you?" Wilson asked as she nodded.

"You're one to give that kind of advice, Dr. Wilson. I see you at work about as often as I see House and yet you tell me that _I_ need to rest. Could be, you should take your own advice." Cameron pointed out as Wilson laughed. She had him there. But she was still young enough to enjoy the life that had embittered both himself and House.

"Just rest, Cameron." He insisted before moving away—stepping out of the room before turning down the hallway. Glancing once more over his shoulder into the interior of the room, he froze a moment as his gaze met suddenly with Cameron's. Neither moved.

A 'click, click, click' of an approaching cane broke the spell. Wilson turned away once more as he caught sight of House at the end of the hallway, and he moved toward his friend suavely before falling into step next to him.

"You could have asked me yourself if you had wanted me to take a look at the girl." Wilson stated simply as House threw him an unreadable look. Wilson sighed.

"You hold a grudge better than any man I know, Gregory." Wilson complained as House grimaced. He still blamed Wilson for not revealing that House had cured his patient weeks ago, allowing him, instead, to believe that the man hadn't received the treatment House had proposed.

"Just be glad that you're still not staying with me, Robert, or I'd make you urinate all over yourself again." House informed him confidently as Wilson shook his head wearily.

"It's not as if you haven't kept things from _me_ before that you felt would benefit me in the end. That's what friends are for, House. Would it make you feel better if I just apologized?" Wilson asked as House stopped moving long enough to look over at him.

"Grovel maybe? I always wondered what you would look like on your hands and knees while getting ready to beg." House proclaimed wryly as Wilson snorted. They had known each other too long and Wilson knew which buttons to push.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Wilson quoted as House twirled his cane through his fingers a moment before rubbing his chin.

"Ghandi?" House asked as Wilson nodded. They both grinned. Anger was pointless. No one knew each other better than the two of them. But that's what happens when you know all of each other's secrets, all of each others possible weaknesses. It was why Wilson had done what he had done in the first place. House was becoming over-confident. In the end, that was a weakness for him. House knew it and Wilson knew it. Glancing at each other quietly, both silently agreed to disagree without saying a word.

"How about you buy me coffee?" House asked cheerfully as Wilson chuckled.

"When have I never paid?" He commented dryly, making it a point to glance once more over his shoulder at the room inhabited by Bridget Durmont and Allison Cameron before following his friend.


End file.
